Please, Please Don't Leave Me
by Klaineismycrack
Summary: On the anniversary of their engagement, Kurt and Blaine went out to dinner. What seemed like a beautiful night together turns quickly into a nightmare. With Blaine's life hanging in the balance, Kurt learns that they both have more strength than they ever dreamed. WARNING for medical situations. ****i love reviews*** first attempt at writing fanfiction.
1. Chapter 1

"Kurt come on, you won't melt." " I may not melt but my new shoes MIGHT!". Blaine stood on the sidewalk in the pouring rain while Kurt huddled under and storefront on 34th St terrified of ruining his perfectly styled hair and designer clothes. "Kurt, don't think that I won't walk off and leave you. We have reservations and I, for one, am not missing out on the best Sushi in New York City". Kurt stared his husband down hoping that Blaine would be a gentleman and cover the waterhole with his coat, produce a giant umbrella or something that he's sure men used to do once upon a time. After a few seconds though, he realized how silly he was being and joined Blaine on the sidewalk and started to scurry as fast as he could to the Subway station.

Once on the train, he did his best to make himself more presentable by shaking the water from his hair and fanning the front of his shirt hoping to dry the water spots. "Honey", Blaine leaned over and spoke into his ear "you don't need to impress anyone but me and I'm already hopelessly in love you with you". Kurt smiled at that and blushed a little. "You may feel differently when you see the Visa bill when I replace everything that I'm wearing now that it's ruined" Kurt quipped. It took a very understanding man to put up with Kurt Hummel. Blaine Anderson was definitely a shoe-in and landed that job 10 years ago at Dalton Academy the day they ran into each other on the main staircase. Both of them had been felt like they were living in a fairytale and were in the "happily ever after" phase. The feeling of going to bed each night wrapped in the arms of the person you love most in this world and waking up to their slightly disheveled and morning breath stricken alter ego was everything they could ever ask for.

When they reached their stop at Columbus Circle, they emerged from the Station to clearer skies and less rain. Blue Ribbon Sushi may not actually be the best in NYC but it held a soft spot for the couple as it is where Blaine had proposed to Kurt 5 years ago today. The server seated them at the same table at Blaine's request and they settled in for a romantic dinner. "I think I'm going to order the Salmon Teriyaki and a glass of Sauvignon. What about you Sweety?" "Kurt, you know I can't come to this place without ordering the Honoo and Sake". "I don't know how you manage to eat that much and not be obese Blaine. I would kill for your metabolism." "I would kill for your hair. The rain has me looking like I have a wild animal living on my head.. Damn humidity doesn't work well with unruly curls". Just then, the waitress approached the table and took their orders.

After eating half their weight in fish and drinking more wine and Sake than should be legal, the bill was paid and Blaine stood on the curb trying to hail a cab. Neither one of them were sober enough to navigate the mass transit system and Kurt tended to get really handsy with Blaine when he was drunk. There was no need to get their asses kicked in the subway car by some random homophobes at Midnight. Kurt will later swear than the next 30 seconds happened in slow motion. As Blaine was waving down a cab, he suddenly grabbed the side of his head. He swayed a little and turned around to look at Kurt. Kurt could immediately tell that something was wrong. He ran up to Blaine just as the cab pulled up to them. He was there just in time to catch Blaine as he fell to the side. Kurt lowered him down to the sidewalk easily and looked up to the cab driver asking for him to call 911. The cab driver simply sped off, apparently not wanting to get involved. Kurt screamed at the cab as it peeled out but came to his senses and grabbed the phone in his pocket and dialed 911 himself. A few people had gathered around by this point and a woman ran up to them. "My name is Marie and I'm a nurse, what happened?". "I-I don't know,. He was just standing there and then he seemed like his head hurt and then he fell. Oh God, Blaine...Blaine honey can you hear me?" Kurt was past the point of staying calm and was heading straight forward into panic when Blaine wasn't able to form any words to answer him. He was moving his mouth but not saying anything". "Ok , come on, we need to stay calm for him. What's his name sweety?" "Blaine, it's Blaine. I'm Kurt. He's my husband. We just had dinner. I don't know, maybe it was something he ate? Why can't he talk? Blaine, honey I love you say something". The sirens that they could hear were right next to them and from the truck jumped 3 EMTs. They basically shoved Kurt and Marie out of the way and started assessing Blaine. "Sir, can you tell me your name?" asked one. Blaine of course, didn't answer and soon after closed his eyes and was completely non-responsive. Kurt was certain that he had spoken his last words to his soulmate. He had kissed those lips for the last time. He would never again hear Blaine tell him he loved him. That's when everything spun around him and he hit the ground himself.


	2. Chapter 2

A hospital can be both terrifying and comforting at the same time. Kurt was terrified of the reason that he and his husband were currently there but somewhat comforted by the fact that Blaine was now in the hands of professionals that can help him. As he sat in the ER waiting room with his head in his hands, he wondered whether Blaine was awake yet. Is he in pain right now? If he is awake, is he afraid? Kurt's pants pocket vibrated before he could drive himself too crazy with worry. It was his Dad calling him back. "Hey Dad". "Don't Hey Dad me son, want to explain the cryptic voice mail I just got from you?" "Dad...I'm at the ER. It's Blaine. I don't know what's happening but I'm so scared right now. He fell on the sidewalk and he couldn't talk" "Slow down Kurt, what do you mean he fell?" "He fainted or something. He seemed like his head hurt and then he just fell. They brought us both to the closest ER and now I'm waiting to hear what's going on. I passed out at some point but they checked me over and I'm fine." "Kurt, I'll start driving now, It's 1:30am now, I can be there by lunchtime" "No, Dad, don't do that. It could just be like, a really bad migraine or something. I'll call you as soon as I know something. Santana is on her way here to be with me" "If you change your mind, just call me and I'll be there". At this, Kurt had to stifle a sob. "Thanks Dad. I don't really buy into prayer all that much but, could you send a few up for Blaine?" "Will-do Son. Call me as soon as you know something or if you need to talk." Kurt ended the call and started to cry. He wanted his Dad right now more than just about anything but he wasn't going to ask him to drive all night and halfway into tomorrow if Blaine ends up being ok.

"Anderson, Blaine" called a young female nurse wearing teal green scrubs. "Yes! That's my husband" called Kurt as he ran up to the nurse. "Come this way, The ER attending wants to talk with you". Kurt followed the nurse to a tiny waiting room with two couches, a coffee table and at least 3 boxes of tissues scattered around the room. Kurt had a feeling that a lot of people got news in this room that led to a lot of crying. Oh God, this must be the bad news waiting room! "Please, sit down and Dr Melendez will be right with you". He sat on the couch and every possible scenario ran through his mind at once. Blaine is dead, he has cancer, Blaine had an allergic reaction to the fish, He's going to be fine and can go home now, we are admitting him into hospice and you can say your goodbyes. Before Kurt could hyperventilate, A man in a white coat entered into Kurt's peripheral vision. "Mr Hummel is it?" "Yes, I'm Blaine's husband". "My name is Dr Melendez. I'm one of the attending physicians here tonight in the ER. Let me start by telling you that Blaine is alive." "Oh thank God" came out before Kurt could stop himself. "He is in critical condition though. Blaine has had a CVA. The more common term is a stroke." "WHAT? A stroke? How is that possible? Blaine is so young. He's only 25. Old people have strokes. My GRANDPA had a stroke." "I understand how odd this can sound but, Blaine has, indeed, had a stroke. We are sending him upstairs to surgery to try to break the clot in his brain now. Does Blaine have any wishes pertaining to being kept alive artificially? Has he ever told you that he has a DNR?" "No, nothing like that. We've never even talked about something like that. Why is that important? Is he on life support now?" The doctor looked Kurt in the eyes and put his hand on his shoulder to calm him. "He's not on life support at this moment but the surgery he's about to have is dangerous and we just need to know if he were to code during the procedure, should we keep working to save him or is it Blaine's wishes that he not be kept alive after brain death." "He has never told me...please do everything you can to keep him alive. I don't care what you have to do. I'm his husband, I can make that call right?". "Yes Mr Hummel, it's your call until we can have a talk with Blaine himself". "Ok, then you have your answer". With that, The Dr patted Kurt's shoulder and told him that the nurse will take him to the OR waiting area and that the surgeon will speak with him once Blaine is in Recovery. Kurt just wants this to be a bad dream. He hopes he's going to wake up and hear Blaine singing at the top of his lungs while making omelets for breakfast. Maybe he will be in their apartment and he will have kicked all the covers off of himself and Blaine is currently snoring under a massive pile of quilted down comforter. That would be a much better alternative to sitting here and waiting to find out if Blaine is going to live, die or be a vegetable.


	3. Chapter 3

Why would any decorator choose beige for a SICU waiting area? It's the most depressing color in the spectrum. Why wouldn't they choose something cheery? Something vivid to maybe try to distract from all the heartache and death? Kurt was 3 hours into his critique of the overall aesthetic design of the hospital's 4th floor Surgical ICU when a female doctor wearing a mask that's been pulled under her chin, what looks like a shower cap on her head and two more on her shoes walks over to the chairs. "Mr Hummel?". "How is he?". Come on Kurt, you have to get your manners under control. "I mean, call me Kurt, how is he?". "He is stable. We are finishing up with the procedure now. Everything went smoothly with no adverse events. His heart is doing just fine and we are getting some pretty decent brain wave readings from him. Once he is brought out of the OR, we will be sending him to ICU where you can see him." At this, Kurt scooted closer to the end of his seat. Just the thought of being able to see Blaine alive again had his feet ready for action. He was ready to see him NOW. Santana had arrived a couple of hours ago after being awoken by a frantic phone call from Kurt. She lived in Brooklyn these days and was out the door and on the first train she could jump onto into Manhattan. She was currently the only thing holding Kurt back from sprinting down the hallway to ICU. "What exactly happened Dr?" Santana hadn't been able to get much out of Kurt except "Blaine fell and he couldn't talk somerhing about a stroke". "I'm Dr Neal by the way. Blaine has had a fairly severe stroke. The fact that he's still with us is a very good thing. I think that it has a lot to do with his overall health and the fact that he is so young. We aren't able to pinpoint the exact reason for the stroke at this point but the clot was resolved in surgery without complication. Trust me when I say, this is a very good sign that he's going to survive". "Thank you Dr Neal. Thank you for that" Kurt was so relieved to hear those words. "The ICU transport will be coming though with him in just a few minutes and you can follow them over to the ICU while they set him up". The Dr left Kurt and Santana to wait for a gurney holding Blaine to pass them.

It was another 15 minutes when they heard the doors of the OR wing open. Kurt spun his head to look and there was his Blaine. There were at least 15 machines attached to the sides and the head of the bed and 3 people were surrounding him while maneuvering through the hallway. Kurt stood up and asked "They told me to follow you to ICU right?". "That's right, come on and try to stay behind the head of the bed. We 've got to be able to get to him in a hurry if needed". Kurt and Santana both fell into step behind the bed carrying Blaine and the transport man and nurses watching the monitors closely. They stopped halfway down the row of little glass windowed rooms and turned into one. The nurses asked the two to please wait outside while they transfer everything to the room. Kurt watched intently as they glided the bed into place in the middle of the tiny room. One nurse was busy hooking the oxygen up to the room supply and the other was unloading the monitors from the bed and onto their stands against the wall. Blaine was obviously asleep and had a big, thick layer of bandages around his head. His skin was almost grey he was so pale and he had a tube coming out of his mouth and taped to the sides of his face. There were multi colored wires coming out of the top of his hospital gown and something clipped onto two of his fingers. There were at least 3 places on his arms where there were needles inserted and connected to bags of fluids and what looked like blood in one above his head.

"Ok, you can both sit with him for now but please do not make much noise. We need his brain to rest. He isn't going to wake up this morning. He probably won't wake for a couple of days at the soonest. The best thing for him right now is rest and the drugs he is on right now will help him get that". Kurt nodded and the nurses showed him inside the room. "Am I allowed to touch him? Can I hold his hand"? "Of course you can dear. I know it looks pretty bad but he's still under all those tubes and wires." The nurse felt for her patient's families. They were all shocked by the state that their loved ones were in and needed to know that they were still alive and could maybe feel that they were there. " Just watch out for the port in his hand and you can sit right here and talk lightly to him." Kurt moved to the chair on Blaine's left side and sat down. Santana stayed near the door watching the exchange take place. Kurt picked up the hand and tears started to fall again. Blaine was so cold. Why do they have such a thin blanket on him? Don't they know that Blaine is perpetually cold and needs at least a winterweight comforter in the height of Summer? "He's so cold". He blurted out to the room. The nurse walked over and sat next to Kurt. "We have to keep his temperature pretty low for a few hours so that his brain stays in sorta slow-motion. Once we know that he is more stable, we will start warming him back up. Don't worry, he can't feel the cold right now. He's comfortable". Kurt doubted highly that Blaine was anything near comfortable right now. How could he be with all those needles and electrodes and that giant tube in his mouth that is breathing for him? The nurse left instructions with Santana to press the call button if they needed anything and that they are reading all of Blaine's monitors from the nurses station in the center of the hall. She wrote her name on a whiteboard next to the door so that they would know who to ask for and was out the door. "Santana, you should go home. You have work tomorrow". "I'm not going anywhere. My favorite Gays are at the hospital and that trumps going into the office tomorrow. I can take the day off don't worry about me. I AM going to head to the cafeteria for some coffee though. Do you want anything?". Kurt just shook his head without taking his eyes off of Blaine's chest as it moved up and down.

At 7am, Kurt decided it was time to update his Dad on the situation. He walked out to the waiting room where cell phone use was allowed and dialed the number. His Dad must have been sitting with the phone in his hand because the first ring didn't even finish "What's up kiddo? How is Blaine?". "He's alive...I don't know a lot more. They said that he had a stroke and they did surgery to remove a clot from his brain. He's asleep right now but he's on a ventilator and they say he's going to be asleep for a few days so his brain can recover." "Kurt, me and Carol are going to catch a flight out today and be with you guys.". "Thanks Daddy" the tears were evident in Kurts's response. "I need you really bad right now". "Of course Son. We will come there to the hospital from the airport so don't worry about picking us up or anything. We will manage." Kurt was nodding at the phone in agreement. He was so lost it didn't even occur to him that a nod couldn't be heard through a phone. "Ok Dad, I'll see you soon I love you". "I love you both Kurt. You hang in there and Blaine will do the same".

Walking back to the ward, Kurt started taking a mental inventory of everything he needed to do this morning. He needed to call work and let them know that he will be out for the foreseeable future. He didn't figure it would be a problem. His boss knows Blaine and they go on double dates a lot. She loves Blaine like a brother and will probably run straight for the hospital when he tells her what is going on. He needs to call the firm where Blaine works and let them know that he will be out indefinitely. Blaine is a junior partner at a Real Estate Law office. They will be sad to hear that Blaine is sick but he doesn't see any of them making an effort to check on him. Kurt has always felt that Blaine was too good to work in that office of stuffy snobs. He will wait a couple of hours before he calls when the offices are all open and he can talk to management about things like FMLA leave and Short-term disability paperwork. Oh God, how did such a perfect night out turn so bad so fast?


	4. Chapter 4

The next thirty-six hours passed by agonizingly slow. Kurt sat next to Blaine the entire time save for a couple of pee breaks and one meal. Santana had gone home to rest after Burt and Carole arrived. Only two are allowed in the room at a time so Kurt and Burt are currently playing cards on a small table next to the bed. Kurt doesn't know how to play anything but Go Fish so Burt sucks it up and plays along with him. "Dad, you and Carole really should go back to our place and get some rest. I'll he fine here with him". "No way Kurt, I'm not leaving until you've had a nap and at least a full meal in you". "I can't leave Dad. What if something happens and I'm not here?". "Kurt, you heard the Doctor. He's stable and will still sleep for another day before they back off the sedatives." Sigh. "Fine, I'll go home for a little bit and at the very least take a shower and a nap. Promise me that you will stay in this room with him Dad and that you will call me if anything and I mean ANYTHING happens at all." "I promise Kurt. He's my Son-In-Law, I actually DO care about him ya know.""I know that you do...thanks for being here Dad. I was going a little bit crazy without someone being my voice of reason. Santana tries but you know how her temper is. I thought she was going to knife the nurse that couldn't get an IV started on Blaine earlier this morning. She threatened to stick the nurse with a needle over and over to see how SHE liked it!". "You gotta love Santana. She would go to hell and back for you boys. I'll see you in a bit kid and take your time. I'll just get a little bit of shuteye right along with Blaine. Doesn't seem fair that he's the only one getting a good nights sleep.""Alright Dad" Kurt bent over and hugged Burt "I'll call you when I'm on my way back. I'll take Carole home with me."

Kurt was able to sleep for 4 hours before he woke up in a panic. He didn't know why he was in his bed instead of sitting in a horribly uncomfortable plastic chair next to Blaine. Then he remembered that he came home for some sleep and food. He crawled out of bed and stumbled sleepily into the living room where Carole was dozing on the couch peacefully. He tried his best to make as little noise as possible as he cooked himself some tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. He made enough for two in case Carole woke up from the noise or smells. He was right, she walked into the kitchen and smiled at Kurt. "How are you doing after your nap Kurt? Is your head any clearer?". "Yeah, a little. I really needed some sleep in an actual bed. I feel a lot better. Have you heard from Dad?" "He texted me earlier with a pic of Blaine to prove to you that he didn't let him die on his shift". Kurt had to smile a little at his Father's sick sense of humor. Kurt had learned from the best. "Well, thank God for small miracles." . Kurt and Carole sat in relative silence while they ate. Neither one could really come up with any conversation material that didn't seem irrelevant in light of the current situation. "Well, I'm going to hop in the shower and put on some clean clothes and head back to the hospital to relieve Dad. You should stay here and feed him when he gets back." "Ok honey, please give Blaine a kiss from me and tell him I love him". "I will...he loves you so much Carole. I'm sure he will be so happy to see you here when he wakes up".

Burt was deep in a game of Candy Crush when Kurt came through the door of Blaine's room. "Dad, you're going to go blind trying to play games on such a tiny screen". "Kurt, I'm going to go blind from old age well before the games can get me." Kurt rolled his eyes and set down the satchel he brought with him next to the bed and his usual chair. "Hey Baby, how are you?" He bent over and kissed Blaine's left temple and stroked his upper arm. He was happy that he was much warmer now and it seemed a little bit more healthy to Kurt. "The doctor came in about 10 minutes ago and said that he would come back in once you were here. He said something about some test results to talk to you about." "Oh ok, that will be good. The not knowing is the hardest part of it all. I can see that he's alive but I don't know anything else really." At that moment, a tall make doctor with a lab coat walked in with a big folder. "AHH, Mr Hummel, perfect timing. I'm Dr Rensing and I'm The neurologist on duty today and will be following Blaine's case. Your Dad said you had gone home to freshen up. That's a good thing. Don't let yourself get too worn out sitting here keeping vigil. It won't do Blaine any good if you are sick and in a bed right alongside him." "That's exactly what my Dad has been telling me. It's just hard to leave the hospital without knowing much about Blaine's condition." "Well, I hope I can enlighten you a little bit right now. I've brought in some scans that we've done on Blaine since he's been here and also some EEG readings." The doctor took what looked like x-ray films from the folder and placed them on a lighted box on the wall. "This right here" he pointed with his pen to smudge on what looked like a big blob "Is where the clot was. We were able to bust the clot but there was some blood flow disruption to this area of the brain. That's why this area looks dark." Kurt really thought the entire thing looked dark and it felt a little like trying to look at ultrasound pictures that his coworkers would show him and say "Can't you tell it's a boy?" He couldn't even tell it was a baby let alone where and what form the genitals were! "I see" said Kurt so that the doctor would keep going. "I've definitely seen worse damage from a CVA but I have to say, the damage is pretty substantial in Blaine's case. We are going to start weaning him off the sedatives in about 8 hours and see how he does. We will monitor his brain activity and his heart function to make sure that it's not causing him too much stress. If it is, we will put him back under and try again in another 24 hours. We've got to play this a little bit by ear and stay ahead of the brain damage." "I'm sorry...what do you mean brain damage? Blaine has brain damage now?" "Yes Mr Hummel, that's what I was showing you on the scan. That is Blaine's brain. That dark spot is area that has been damaged from lack of blood flow and oxygen." Kurt reached for his Dad and Burt held him steady as Kurt asked "What does that mean for Blaine?" "It could mean full recovery eventually or it could mean he will be dependent on you for the rest of his life...we won't know until he wakes up and we can assess his neurological status." "Ok, I guess we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves." "That's exactly right Kurt" Burt rubbed his son's back "He could wake up and tell us all to go to hell for letting them put him in that hideous gown.". Kurt and the doctor both laughed a little at Burt's comment. It was something that Kurt could totally see Blaine doing. "Dad, you can go home for a little while. Carole is waiting to make you some food and take a nap with you. I'll be alright here with him. I'll call you before they wake him up". "I'll see you later son" and with that, Burt headed to the garment district to Kurt and Blaine's apartment to see his wife.

At roughly 5am the next morning, a nurse came into the room and dialed a few things on a pump. He informed Kurt that he was lowering the dosage on the sedative as Dr Rensing had ordered. He would be back in a little later to lower it again. Kurt sat staring at Blaine for any sign of movement from him at all. Nothing. At 8am the nurse came back in as promised and dialed back the sedative again. "This should be the adjustment that wakes him up. The next decrease and he will be off them altogether". Kurt felt nervous at this thought. He's going to know very soon whether Blaine is still Blaine or just a version of himself. He stepped outside quickly to call his Dad and Carole so that they could come back to the hospital. Within 10 minutes of them arriving, Kurt and Carole stood next to the bed while Blaine let out little whimpers around the tube in his mouth. Kurt's heart was ready to beat out of his chest as the doctor stood over Blaine lifting each eyelid and looking at the pupil's reaction to light. "Come on Blaine, show us your eyes" said the doctor in a stern voice. Kurt thought at first that it was awfully mean to yell at a man in a hospital bed but figured it was the only way they could wake someone up in this situation. Blaine did not open his eyes but instead produced a grunt instead."Blaine, can you wiggle your fingers for me?" Blaine lifted his right pointer finger slightly and his pinky finger bent a little. That was enough to make Kurt practically jump for joy. "That's good Blaine now what about your toes? Can you wiggle your toes?". Blaine let out a particularly pitiful whine and craned his neck to the right but still managed to wiggle the toes of his right foot. "Ok Blaine, good. Can you squeeze Kurt's hand? He's holding your left hand." . A few seconds passed but Kurt felt nothing. "Squeeze Kurt's hand for me Blaine. He's been sitting here with you for two days. Give him a little squeeze.". Still nothing. "What about this hand Blaine? Can you squeeze my hand with your right hand?" Blaine definitely tightened his grip on the doctor's hand. He started to open his eyes and looked around the room a little without moving his head. His eyes locked in on Kurt and his heart monitor let out a blip telling them that his heart rate had risen a little. Kurt smiled at him and said "Hi Sweetheart. I've missed you." Blaine just continued to whimper and open his eyes every couple of seconds and look at Kurt. The doctor moved all around Blaine and checked his reflexes and prodded a few spots before turning around and telling the nurse to page respiratory to come down and see about removing the vent as he feels comfortable that Blaine is able to breathe on his own. The nurse nodded and slipped out the door. The doctor stood in front of Kurt and gave him some news that Kurt could never have imagined he would one day hear. "Kurt it looks like Blaine is having some paralysis at least to some extent on the left side of his body. I don't know how bad it is yet until we can get him a little more awake and get him off the vent and able to move a little but it's pretty obvious to me that he has some hemiparesis". "Is that something normal or is it a bad thing or what?" "It isn't abnormal to have some of these symptoms after a stroke. We will just need to keep testing to see." "Thank you doctor" said Carole since Kurt was too busy looking at Blaine fisting his bedsheets in his right hand. He walked back over to him but on his right side now and grabbed his hand. "Hi Sweety, I missed you so much and look, Carole is here to see you". Blaine looked at Kurt like he was his lifeline and stared intently at him with his eyes shining with unshed tears. His nostrils were flaring from trying not to cry out. It mustv'e hurt him to make noises around the tube Kurt thought. "Honey I know you're scared. Just hang onto my hand and it's going to be okay. They're going to come and take that tube out of your throat and we can have a good talk ok?" The tears fell down his cheeks as he tried his best to nod at Kurt.


	5. Chapter 5

Blaine had quickly fallen back to sleep after the ventilator was removed. That was a terrifying experience for everyone involved. Along with paralysis on his left side, Blaine was having a lot of difficulty swallowing and coughing effectively. When the tube came out, Blaine couldn't catch his breath because he was unable to coordinate his lungs with his brain. Eventually, instinct took over and his breathing calmed considerably. Since falling back asleep, Kurt has sat next to him and dabbed at his chin every few minutes when saliva escapes the corner of his mouth. The Dr says it is normal after a stroke to have swallowing and speaking difficulties but that much of the time it improves with therapy. For the time being, Blaine is being fed by TPN intraveneously. The giant bag hanging above his bed looks like it has milk and fat in it and runs 12 hours every night so that Blaine doesn't lose too much weight although he already looks like he's dropped a few pounds in the last couple of days. "Blaine honey, you need a shave desperately.". The scruff that has set in since being admitted to the hospital makes him look much older than he really is. "You almost look old enough to have had a stroke" Kurt chuckled while brushing his fingers lightly along Blaine's right forearm. Nothing it this world relaxes the man more than having Kurt lightly rub the inside of his forearm. Many nights Kurt would wake up to his husband sitting on the couch watching ESPN News in the living room because he was unable to fall asleep. Kurt will coax him back to bed and put him to sleep almost instantly with this trick.

Over the past 3 days a sweet nurse named Brenda has floated in and out of Blaine's room and watched the tender way that Kurt handles his husband. "I wish I had a man that loved me half as much as he loves Blaine" she told one of the other nurses while they sat at the nurses station watching through the windowed wall of the room. " I can't get Clint to rub my shoulders after working a 16 hour shift and here Blaine has someone with him at all times making sure he's being touched in some way. Maybe I should give up Clint and become a lesbian?" "HA" cackled Emilie the CNA sitting behind her "My wife is just as bad as Clint. Not all women are the nurturing type, trust me". The nurses just continued watching the pair and wish that they had found love as obvious and and strong as the one they are witnessing. "I'm going to go and ask Kurt if he's hungry while dietary is here with the trays. That man never eats and I'm ready to shove a feeding tube down his nose and force some food into him." Brenda crossed the hallway into Blaine's room. "Kurt, can I interest you in some gourmet salisbury steak and instant potatoes?" Kurt scrunched his nose up and laughed a little at Brenda's not so subtle way of getting Kurt to eat lunch". "Brenda, I really don't have much of an appetite, I'm sorry". "Nonsense, I haven't seen you eat but two meals in three days. You have to keep your strength up if you're going to help us get Blaine up and out of bed tomorrow." That caught his attention. "What? He's getting up tomorrow?". "Well sure, Dr Rensing likes to get his patients sat up and into a chair as soon as he can. It helps us to assess how much strength he's still got." "I may be persuaded to eat a Chicken Ceaser Salad if one happened to show up in this room" winked Kurt. "I'll go see if I can bribe one of the cafeteria aides into bringing one up." Brenda flashed a big smile and went to make the call. "Did you hear that B? They're going to get you moving around tomorrow. That will be nice right?". It's not that Kurt expected Blaine to answer him or anything, he just needed to talk and Blaine was a willing listener right now. "Maybe you can come home soon Honey?".

Kurt sat with Blaine for another few hours and dutifully ate lunch much to the delight of Brenda. Burt and Carole traded off with him and he was able to go home for some sleep, a shower and to pick up some personal items that he felt Blaine might want in the room. He grabbed his iPod just incase and packed a couple of soft tshirts and some flannel pj pants that Blaine had worn for years even though Kurt had tried many times to toss them out. "They're the most comfortable things I've ever worn Kurt! I promise to never wear them past the threshold of our door or stand in front of any open windows where the neighbors may see me but PLEASE let me keep them." Once the pouty lips and those giant hazel orbs come out, Kurt is helpless against their powers. "Fine...but don't think that I'm having sex with you as long as you are wearing them". "Kurt, I would hope that for sex neither one of us would be wearing much at all". Kurt gave him the side eye glare and grinned. How could he argue with that logic? Kurt smiled at the memory and shoved the pajamas into a duffle bag along with a razor, some shaving cream and Blaine's toothbrush.

When he headed back to the hospital that night to take over for Burt and Carole, he was excited because Burt had called to say Blaine woke up for a little bit that evening. He sat and stared at Carole and seemed to smile a little when she told him about Santana stopping that afternoon, proclaiming that "Blaine has lost his manners. Every time I come to see him, he's asleep and never offers me a beer anymore". She had sat with Carole in the room for a while and brought a card that had come in the mail from Mercedes to her apartment to give to Blaine. There wasnt much room to even display a card so they taped it to the side of his heart monitor and the nurses all got a chuckle. Kurt had just missed her when he came in at 10pm. He was ready to sit in the quiet room and hold Blaine's hand again and drift off to sleep with his head on the side of the mattress. He stopped by the nurses station and the night nurse Amy was just starting her shift. "Amy, do you think I could shave Blaine's face in the morning? He's starting to look a little like an Ewok.". Amy laughed at the reference as it was an obvious jab at Blaine's stature and uncanny ability to go from clean shaven to a beard in about a day and a half. "Kurt, we have Blaine on blood thinners at the moment to prevent anymore clots from forming in his brain. I can get you an electric razor and you can use that though". "That would be lovely Amy thank you". "Anything you need at all, you just ask me and I'll see what I can do". It was great luck that they were closest to this hospital when Blaine passed out. He couldn't imagine a nicer staff existing in another NYC Intensive Care Unit. Not one staff member had even blinked when he explained to them that he was Blaine's husband. No snide remarks at all and everyone has treated Blaine like he was their own family member laying in that bed unable to fend for himself. He is handled with the gentlest of hands and his dignity has been protected while being cleaned and toileted. Kurt felt certain that he could never have done the job better himself.

At 8am the next morning like clockwork, the nurse came into the room to unhook the TPN feeding and tend to some of Blaine's morning needs and meds. Blaine was wide eyed when Brenda came into his view and told him good morning. "How are you this morning Mr Blaine? Ready to get up and out of bed this morning?". Blaine laughed in his new little way since he can't really control his mouth well. "I think he's going to be jogging through the halls of the hospital before we know it isn't that right hun?" Blaine followed the nurse with his stare while she charted monitor readings and coaxed Kurt into eating half a bagel. "Dr Rensing will be by soon for rounds and they're probably going to move him out of ICU today." Kurt almost choked on his orange juice. "What? Is he ready for that? He's still so sick!" "Don't worry Kurt, he's doing a lot better than he was a few days ago. He's out of the woods and they will start Physical, Occupational and Speech therapy soon. There's no room for that in these tiny rooms". Kurt was apprehensive but understood the need to get Blaine back to normal as soon as they can. Brenda turned Blaine over a little in the bed to keep him from getting pressure sores and a stiff back. She propped him to his left and used pillows to keep him from rolling forward or backward as he doesn't have the strength to catch himself yet. Kurt was able to help her in making him comfortable again and rubbed his thumb over his forehead. The thick bandages had come off and now there were a short line of staples a bald spot and angry red skin where they had entered Blaine's head to clip the clot in his brain.

"Mr Anderson!" called Dr Rensing as he entered the doorway of the room. "You look a lot better than the last time I saw you. Look at you shaved and awake." Blaine smiled at the compliment and lifted his right hand slightly and waved at the doctor. "I've called transport to take you upstairs to the Rehab Unit on the 9th floor. We're going to get Blaine moving today what do you think of that Mr Anderson?" Blaine gave a nod and a thumbs up. The guys from Transport came in shortly and loaded a few monitors onto the bed along with the IV pole and the move to Rehab started. Once settled in his new room, Kurt was told that they could now decorate the room a little more to Blaine's taste with things like photos and some flowers. The nurse assigned to Blaine on this floor was Diane. She's an energetic ball of sunshine and was probably the closest thing to a female version of Blaine that Kurt had ever met. This should be fun.


	6. Chapter 6

"What the hell Kurt? My baby brother is in the hospital and had BRAIN surgery and you're just calling me 3 days later?". "I'm so sorry Cooper. I've been so upset and stressed that I completely forgot!". Kurt was on the verge of tears. It wasn't until the speech therapist showed up in the room earlier to work with Blaine that it occurred to Kurt that no one had called his family. Linda, the speech therapist asked Blaine "Can you tell me your husband's name?". Blaine struggled for a minute or two before he muttered "K-K-uuu". "That's good now, can you tell me if you have any brothers or sisters?" "OH MY GOD" Kurt jumped straight out of his chair and ran for the lobby to start making the calls. Blaine's parents weren't answering either one of their cell phones and he was pretty sure they were at their Summer house in Maine which does not have a landline. He shook while dialing and as soon as Cooper answered the phone "Cooper, let me start by saying you have every right to beat me as soon as you come to NYC". In the end, Cooper said that he would book his flight this afternoon and be in on a redeye in the morning. He was also able to reach his parents after a 911 text to both of them. They immediately booked flights and headed to the city.

"Blaine honey, why didn't you tell me that I needed to call your parents?!". Blaine simply grinned and vaguely gestured to the shaved side of his head which meant "I still BARELY know where I am". Kurt crawled onto the side of the bed and pulled Blaine into his side. The beds on the rehab unit are much larger than the one he was in while in ICU. It was time for a nap and they both needed one desperately. After speech therapy was physical therapy. The therapist Brad came and worked on Blaine's joints while he was laying in bed. Brad explained that this was important to keep him from stiffening up and his weak side from becoming even weaker. After the workout, Blaine was left winded, worn out and in pain. The nurse was able to give him a dose of a muscle relaxant and Tylenol and he was having trouble holding his eyes open. Kurt took advantage of "cuddly Blaine" as he likes to call it and settled in for the first restful sleep he's had for what seems like forever.

Burt and Carole had decided to use the day as a sightseeing adventure day since Blaine wasn't in immediate danger and they were heading home the next day. Carole made sure to clean up their apartment and do laundry while Burt went to the grocery store and stocked the cabinets for when Kurt came home for rest and food. They hated to head home so soon but the shop was a disaster with Burt there and Carole was needed at the hospital in Lima. So, they spent the day seeing Central Park, Columbus Circle and Times Square.

Kurt woke up at 5pm when the nurses brought a dinner tray into the room for Blaine. "Ok Mr Anderson, we are going to try to eat this evening." Blaine cracked his eyes open and attempted to sit up. He was laying on his left side snuggled into Kurt and was having no luck in trying to roll over so that he could use his right arm to push up. "Oh sweety, let me help you" Kurt put his arm behind his husband's back and lifted him up while the nurse adjusted the bed to a seated position. "We are going to get Blaine into a chair to try to eat if that's ok". Blaine agreed with a grunt and pulled the blankets back. The nurse may be a small woman but she reached over and was able to pull Blaine up and swivel him around in one fluid movement. He was sat into the bedside recliner. Kurt stuffed a pillow between the side of the chair and Blaine's left side to keep him from falling over. "You're getting the hang of this Kurt" commented the nurse. "Really? You think so?" Kurt was surprised by the compliment. "I would say so. You're going to have to learn it all so it's good. Depending on how well behaived Blaine is, he will probably be ready to go home in a week". "Are you serious?" Kurt's jaw dropped and he turned as pale as the walls. "Of course, he can continue to get therapy and strengthening at home as well as he can here just more comfortable". Kurt looked at Blaine who was grinning as wide as he could. He obviously liked the idea of sleeping in his own bed. How could Kurt argue if it made Blaine this happy?

Dinner was, well, ...interesting. It consisted of what used to be turkey and dressing but was pureed and thickened with a special powder used for people who have trouble swallowing. "Ok Blaine, let me do the spooning and you focus on the chewing the speech therapist taught you earlier." She shoveled a very small amount of the mush into his mouth and he rolled it around slowly before swallowing about half and the other half falling out. "That's ok, you'll get there" coaxed the nurse. "Do you want to continue helping him Kurt?" "Yeah, I can do that." He took the dinner tray and spoon and sat directly across from Blaine nervously. "I bet you never imagined this when we took the in sickness and in health vow huh?" Blaine closed his eyes and formed his lips to say "nooo waaaayy". Kurt slowly and carefully continued helping Blaine eat his dinner. It wasn't as much as he would have liked him to eat but it was all Blaine had the energy for. They would just have to supplement with the IV feeding for the next few days. The nurse came back into the room an hour later and helped Kurt move him back onto the bed. He was able to stand with his right leg and hold onto Kurt with his right arm but still very weak on the left side. It was actually starting to worry Blaine that he was unable to do much at all with that arm. It mostly just laid across his lap and got in the way when he tried to reach for things on the table. His left leg cramped up a lot while doing physical therapy exercises as well. He just wished he could express his displeasure with this whole situation verbally. For now, he would just have to grunt and mutter out half-words.

Burt and Carole stopped by the hospital to say goodbye to Blaine before heading out the next morning. "Bye sweety, we love you so much and can't wait for you to get stronger and come visit us in Ohio soon" Carole told Blaine while she hugged him tight. Burt reached over and scooped him up and kissed the side of Blaine's head. "You hang in there bud. I need you healthy so you can keep Kurt in line". Blaine laughed and said "No...channnce". "We will see you soon honey" Carole was trying to hide the tears in her eyes. They headed back to the apartment for a good night's sleep before their 7am flight. Kurt started to get ready for bed and crawled in with Blaine. It was like Heaven to be able to hold each other again. Kurt was so sure the night that Blaine had the stroke that this would never be a possibility again. Now, he laid in bed listening to Blaine snore lightly and feeling his heart beat against his side. It's amazing how fast your whole world can change.


	7. Chapter 7

"Just one more Blaine come on, you've got it in you" coaxed Brad the physical therapist. "N-no, I d-don't" Blaine sputtered while trying to lift his left leg off the bed. "Yes you do, come on man, you're tough." Kurt sat next to the bed holding Blaine's hand and trying not to cry at the defeated look on Blaine's face. "It...is...haaaard". Brad put his hand under Blaine's knee and steadied his leg. "Ok, I'll help you out. Come on, just a little bit. That's it !" Blaine's leg lifted just a little above the therapist's hand. "Alright, you've had enough torture for one morning Blaine. Good work". Brad gathered the therapy supplies into his duffel bag and clapped Blaine on the shoulder before he left the room.

"Honey, you alright?" Kurt asked into Blaine's right ear as he laid with his eyes closed and gathering himself. "Yeaaah, I'm ok". "Cooper will be here soon. His flight landed at 7am. Your parents flew in late last night but you were already asleep and I told them to just come this morning." Blaine opened his eyes and smiled. He missed his family terribly. His brother lived in L.A. And his parents were enjoying their retirement by traveling the world. They were supposed to go to his parent's home on the coast of Maine in a week but it doesn't look like that's going to happen anytime soon now. Blaine was getting some strength back and was pretty steady on his right side but still couldn't stand unassisted or use his left arm for anything other than as an accessory. His speech was still very affected. His words were slurred and he often couldn't finish a sentence. Most of his speaking was no more than 3 to 4 word phrases and supplemented with a lot of head nodding. He was able to eat half of his breakfast before getting annoyed from the difficulty and pushing Kurt's arm away with the spoon of oatmeal.

"Oh my baby!" was the first thing Blaine's Mother Anna said as she walked in the door. She sat on the side of his bed and gathered him into a hug and kissed his head. Blaine's Father George came in after her obviously having trouble keeping up with the small woman on a mission to get to her wounded cub. "Mom...can't b-breathe" mumbled Blaine from under his Mom and Dad who are both crushing him in their affection. "Oh, sorry Son. Me and your Mom couldn't wait for visiting hours to start so we could do that". "How are you feeling Baby? You look tired" Anna always babied her son and that doesn't end just because her baby grew up. "Mom, I had …...stroke...normal is tired" George and Anna both turned to look at Kurt. They seemed shocked by Blaine's trouble with words. "He sees the speech therapist every day to get his speech back to normal. He has a lot of trouble eating too but it's starting to get better." Anna looked like she was going to cry. "Darling, he's ok. He's alive, he's awake and he's getting better already isn't that right Buddy?" "Yeah...Dad. Soon...good as n-new". "Kurt, have they said how long he will have to be in the hospital" "They say he has to be able to at least eat before he can discharge. At the rate he's going, that shouldn't be too long. They're guessing about a week from now." George nodded his head and asked Kurt if he would join him in the hallway for a second. Kurt got up from his chair and followed the patriarch out the door.

"What's the plan for once he's at home Kurt? Who is going to take care of him? Surely you will need professional help." Kurt was taken aback. He hadn't really even thought too much about it. Everything has been all about little steps. Blaine woke up, first step. Blaine could breathe on his own, second step. Blaine knew who Kurt was and had his mental faculties. BIG third step. Going home seemed to be so many steps away that he hadn't dared think that far ahead with any certainty. "Uhm, well, I guess I thought maybe I could take care of him. My boss said I could just work from home for as long as he needs me and.." "Kurt, my Mother-in-Law had a stroke when Blaine was little. She needed someone with her all the time for a while. You won't be able to work AND take care of him the way he needs. I'm not saying that you don't care enough for him or aren't willing. I'm just saying that you aren't a nurse and a nurse is what he's going to need." "So what are you trying to say George?". The older gentleman clasped Kurt's shoulder to show him that he doesn't mean any disrespect. He is just worried for his son. "I'd like to help you two out. I know that you guys have health insurance but that doesn't pay for everything. I'd like to fill in the gaps if you'll let me. We can have Blaine's discharge team coordinate a private duty nurse to stay with Blaine while you work in your home office. The nurse will be able to make sure Blaine is active and safe while you can take some respite from the caregiving. My wife was so tired from taking care of her Mother that she would fall into bed each night and be asleep before she could even get into her pajamas. That's all she was doing though. She wasn't also trying to make a living." Kurt didn't know what to say "That's , that's very generous George. I really don't know what to expect once I get him home but having some help would definitely make things better for Blaine. I...thank you George." "How many times do I have to tell you Kurt? Call me Dad." Blaine's father smiled and pulled Kurt into a tight hug.

Kurt was so happy that Blaine's father was just as accepting of his son as Burt was of him. Blaine's parents had accepted Kurt from day 1. They always expected him to come to dinner at least once per week while they both still went to McKinley and would be offended if Kurt didn't come to visit them when he came home those few times while Blaine was a senior and Kurt was in NYC. They had ridden the roller coaster of emotions with Blaine during the brief breakup his senior year and Anna had been instrumental in getting them back together when she talked Blaine into attending Columbia for Law school and moving into the loft with Kurt, Santana and Rachel. It only took 3 nights in that loft before Blaine's bedroom became unneeded due to sleeping in Kurt's bed every night.

It was settled. George was going to make sure that the two of them could survive financially with Blaine recovering and going through daily therapy sessions. There were also a lot of things that will be needed brought into the apartment before Blaine gets there. He will need a wheelchair, a rolling walker, some bathroom aides and some physical therapy balls, bands and equipment. Blaine's parents met with the social worker on the rehab unit and arranged for all of these things to be delivered before Blaine goes home. They also planned to stay in the city for at least a couple more weeks to help them make the transition.

Cooper arrived at the hospital just as George and Kurt were joining Blaine and Anna back in the room. "Hey Bro! You know, if you wanted me to come and visit you didn't have to get so dramatic, you could have just called". Blaine perked up and grinned. Cooper sat next to Blaine's left side and pulled him in for a side hug. Cooper was surprised when Blaine fell into his lap. Kurt hurried to reach and pull Blaine back up "Cooper, you can't do that! Be gentle!" Cooper had a look of horror on his face as Kurt scolded him. "It's ok Coop...I'm c-clumsy now." Blaine reached across with his right arm and hugged his brother. "Cooper," Kurt said "his left side isn't so strong just yet." Cooper just held his baby brother close while hearing Kurt's words. "I'm so happy you're ok Blaine."

The rest of that day was filled with Occupational Therapy, lunch, Speech Therapy, blood draws for lab work, another CT scan and a few naps in between. Blaine certainly didn't have the stamina that he had just 5 days ago. Eating lunch was enough to induce a 2 hour nap. Now, he was surrounded by his family and expected to keep up with conversation. Kurt noticed him nodding off in the afternoon and decided it was time to kick everyone out for a little bit. "Ok everyone, I love you but, get out. Blaine needs to sleep for a while if he's going to be able to stay awake long enough to eat dinner.". Everyone agreed and said they would be back later to say goodnight to Blaine. "Alright Honey, it's ok to sleep now. Want to cuddle?" Blaine just smiled and nodded. They settled in for a quick nap before the nurses would inevitable come back with some more mushed up food to coax into Blaine.


	8. Chapter 8

The following 5 days went by as smoothly as can be expected. Blaine, for his part, worked his ass off in therapy. Kurt was the supportive and doting husband that he'd always been. He would sit by his side and cheer him on in speech and occupational therapy and hold his shivering body while he moaned in pain after physical therapy. The fact that his right side was trying to pick up the slack of his left side was overworking his good muscles to the point of spasms.

"Baby, try to calm down a little bit and let the muscle relaxant take effect". "H-hurts s-s-so bad Kurt." "We can talk to Brad about maybe pre-medicating before therapy tomorrow. This is the worst it's been. You did so good today though! You made it 3 steps before you had to sit back down." Blaine rolled his eyes as a way of saying 'yippee...3 whole steps'. "I know sweety, but it's 3 steps that you couldn't take 3 days ago. You're not going to run a marathon anytime soon but I think you'll be walking around in a few more weeks."

"Good afternoon Gentlemen!" Dr Rensing strolled into the room smiling as widely as they'd ever seen him smile. "I have great news for you Blaine. You're flying the coop in a few days!". Blaine's eyebrows raised and he smiled. "Really? I get t-to go home?" "Yep, you've been doing really well eating on your own. You've certainly got a lot of work left to do and you're going to have to supplement with a lot of nutritional shakes but I think it would be safe to let you continue to recover at home where you're more comfortable. The Discharge Planner will set up a home care company that will come to your home for continued therapy and a nurse will come and check on you every few days but I think Kurt here is just about the best nurse you could ask for". The doctor checked Blaine's reflexes and did a quick neuro exam as he does every day. His reflexes were fine although slower on the left side of his body. His left leg was getting a little stronger but his arm was still pretty much useless. "How was PT today?" Kurt decided to answer for Blaine because Blaine was willing to lie through his teeth if it meant he got to go home any sooner. "It was brutal Dr Rensing. They've got him using a walker and he was able to work his way up to 3 steps mostly on his own but he's been in pain and spasming ever since." Dr Rensing nodded at what Kurt was telling him. "Well, unfortunately, he's going to have some of that while his body is trying to get back to normal. That doesn't mean that you have to take it quietly though Blaine. Make sure that you are getting something for the pain and stiffness. No use in being in pain, it will just make therapy harder on you. I'll make sure to write an order for some relaxants to be given to him before he goes to therapy tomorrow and some to take home with you before his therapist comes to the house to work with him." Kurt thanked the doctor and laid back down with Blaine once they were alone again. Blaine was starting to get drowsy from the meds and went back into 'super cuddle mode'.

The next time Kurt woke up, it was getting darker outside and Blaine's parents were sitting in the chairs next to the bed. "Hey guys" Kurt whispered so as not to wake his sleeping husband. "How long have you been here?" "You mean how long did we listen to you guys snore in unison?" laughed George. "I do NOT snore I'll have you know". It was at this point that Blaine woke up and smiled at his Mother. "Hi Sweety-pie." cooed Anna and brushed back his unruly hair with her hand. She had become very coddling of Blaine in the last few days. She found herself babying him at every turn but Blaine didn't seem to mind it. If anything, he seemed to relish it. He missed his Mother so much since moving out of their house and to New York to be with Kurt. They had always had a very tight bond. George was a little jealous of the way his Son let his Wife shower affection on him. Once upon a time he thought maybe being a 'Momma's Boy' was what made Blaine gay but he came to his senses quickly after doing some research and seeking out the advice of other parents of gay teenagers. He started to understand that the bond Anna and Blaine had was due more to genetics than anything.

Anna is from the Philippines and although Blaine doesn't look exactly like her, he received a lot of her features. They are both very petite with black hair and beautiful golden eyes. They both share a fondness for the food that Anna's mother makes them when they visit her in San Francisco and Blaine even asked for a Rosetta Stone course in Tagalog years ago so that he could speak to his Mother in her native language. The only thing that George and Blaine seemed to have in common is a love for Ohio State Buckeyes football and craft beers. George smiles at the memory of their tour of the Columbus Brewery District a few years ago when Blaine and Kurt came home to visit. Anna and Kurt spent the day at the mall and fetched the two of them afterward, trying not to laugh at the father and son who were trying to pretend to be sober but failing miserably.

"Kurt, we are going to go back to the hotel. Cooper is already there after he visited his old college roommate today. We just came by to say goodnight and see if Blaine was going to be discharged on Friday as planned". "Yeah, as long as he keeps up the good work, he's a free man Friday afternoon". Kurt was so happy to be able to say this. He kissed his husband's hand and smiled at him. "That means no salsa dancing in therapy and no scarfing any pizzas and choking. Not until I get you home anyway." Blaine stuck his lower lip out to pout but Kurt just reached in and kissed him again. "Ok you two, we are going to go have some dinner and head to the hotel. We will see you tomorrow morning." As George was saying this, he was hugging his son and son-in-law. They said their goodbyes and left the boys dozing off again.


	9. Chapter 9

Blaine sat in his wheelchair practically vibrating with excitement. Over the course of the last week and a half, his life has changed dramatically. He went from working in a law office for way too many hours and spending too much time worrying about things that really don't matter to not being able to walk, speak clearly or eat solid foods. He was so relieved to be going home even though he knew that it was going to be hard on Kurt. He's been able to stand up with the help of a walker and take a few steps at a time but still wasn't up to what anyone could consider 'walking' yet. "Alright Mr Anderson, are you ready to leave this old hospital yet or what?" laughed Diane the nurse. "Yeah. I m-miss m-my bed". Blaine still hadn't been able to shake his new-found stutter. "I can't say I disagree with you Blaine. Our bed really is awesome huh?" The two of them had splurged a year ago on a new mattress that they both swore was really a cloud zipped up in a mattress shaped cover. "Mmmm yeah"Blaine smiled as Kurt started to push the wheelchair out of the room and down the hall to the elevator. Kurt helped Blaine into the backseat of the taxi and made sure he was buckled in before he put the suitcases and the wheelchair into the trunk and hopped in beside his husband. They arrived at their building in 15 minutes and reversed the whole process. Cooper met them at the curb and helped with the bags while Kurt settled Blaine back in the chair. "Thank GOD we have a building with an elevator. Can you imagine if we still lived in our old walk-up honey?". "Kurt, just wait until you see the apartment. Dad went a little overboard with all the new stuff for Blaine to use. Just a warning, your bathroom now has bars all over it". Blaine chuckled as they got onto the elevator and he reached forward to hit the button for their floor.

He gasped as he saw the living room. Over the entryway was a banner than said "Welcome Home Blaine" and there were streamers and balloons attached to every surface in the room. "How do you like it honey?" "I l-love it Mom". He stared wide-eyed at the rest of the apartment that was within his sight. She grabbed the handles of the chair and took him into his and Kurt's bedroom. There were bed rails installed on his side of the bed and his new rollator walker was set up next to his chair. The bathroom, just as Cooper had warned had grab bars installed next to the toilet, the sink and in the shower. He could see a shower chair as well behind the door to the stall. "W-well Kurt, i-if we ever s-sell the apartment, we can s-sell it to old p-people." "Honey! Don't say that. You know that we are never moving ever again. We almost divorced over the stress of the last move!". In reality, they only had one fight and cried and cuddled that night as they apologized for being so mean to each other but it was stressful nonetheless.

The guest room was setup as a therapy room for Blaine. He had lots of rehab balls, bands and parallel bars in one side of the room and a table with chairs set up on the other for speech and occupational therapy. There were shelves with tons of things like flash cards, hand strengthening gadgets and items to help Blaine learn to dress, bathe and take care of himself again. It was all becoming too much for Blaine and a tear fell down his face. Kurt saw him start to cry and fell onto his knees in front of Blaine's chair putting his hands on his shoulders. "Oh Baby, what's wrong?" Blaine looked up at Kurt and threw himself forward into his arms. He sobbed his heart out while Kurt held and rocked him back and forth. "K-Kurt please d-don't leave m-me". "Why would you ever think that I would leave you? What brought this on? I thought you would be happy to be home." "I am h-happy. But I can't even t-take a shower by m-m-myself. I don't w-want to b-be a burden." He wailed at the last word and Kurt felt like his heart shattered into four thousand pieces.

Anna was finally able to calm Blaine down after Kurt tried and failed to convince Blaine that he would do anything for him for however long he needs it. He hadn't even thought about how all this must feel to Blaine. He knew that he was frustrated by his limitations but never did it occur to him that Blaine was embarrassed by it. He stood in the hallway outside their bedroom listening to Anna softly speak to her son, telling him how everything was going to be OK now and that Kurt would love him the rest of his life whether he could walk, needed a wheelchair or had to be carried over his shoulder. Kurt was in it for the long haul and loved Blaine more than he was giving him credit for. Blaine would sniffle from time to time but was quickly being lulled to sleep by her voice and soothing words. George came up behind him and gently nudged him toward the living room couch. "Kurt, I've set up for a nurse to come for 8 hours a day starting on Monday. Leave the hard stuff up to the nurse and you and Blaine just try to spend as much stress-free time together as possible. It's going to take some getting used to on Blaine's part to have you taking care of him. He's a proud man and hates people to see him sick as you know." Kurt nodded and remembered the first hangover Blaine had after they moved in together and he banned everyone from coming within 50 feet of the bathroom for fear that they would hear him puke. "Yeah, I'm aware. It's just so hard for me. I love him more than anything in the world and if what he needs is someone to help him shower and use the bathroom, it's my job as his husband to do that." George was certain that Blaine could never have chosen a better person, man or woman, to spend his life with. Kurt genuinely loved his Son more than himself. That's the same kind of true love he found with Anna over 35 years ago.


	10. Chapter 10

As much as Blaine loves his Mother, Kurt and George could tell she was starting to get on his nerves. She seems to forget that Blaine is only physically handicapped and not mentally. Every time she speaks to her son she uses a form of baby-talk usually reserved for toddlers. By breakfast on Sunday, Blaine was a nervous wreck and Kurt didn't know what to do for him. "Honey, why don't we go for a walk in the park today? Your parents will be by this afternoon and it would be nice for us to do something together before they get here" Blaine turned and looked at his husband like he's grown a second head and said "C-can't wwwalk Kurt". "I know that silly, I mean I walk and you ride." Blaine answered with a noncommittal grunt and continued to choke down his oatmeal. "Whatdya say Honey, the sun is shining and it would do you good to get some fresh air". "I'm an ad-dult Kurt!" he screamed as he knocked the bowl off the table with his good arm. " I'm aware of that BLAINE" Kurt snapped as he picked up the bowl and threw away the mess from the floor. "I'm sorry for suggesting maybe we could have something that resembles a date. It's not like I was planning to take you to the playground and put you on the swings or anything". Blaine cooled down instantly realizing how badly he reacted. "I'm sorry" he muttered as he looked at Kurt's shoes, unable to look him in the eye. " "I want to go". Kurt took a deep breath. "OK, well then let's get cleaned up and dressed."

Getting Blaine ready for the day was probably the biggest job Kurt had nowadays. Blaine was stubborn as a mule on a good day and downright contrary the rest of the time. He didn't like to be picked at and that made this whole ordeal that much more difficult for anyone trying to help him. He was adamant he was going to wash himself. Kurt ran the bath for him and helped maneuver him into the tub. That's where Blaine takes over. Armed with a loofah and a bottle of Cucumber Melon body wash, he worked from head to toe making sure he was as pristine as his high standards demanded. It was a slow process one-handed but he worked silently while Kurt sat at the vanity moisturizing and primping. He had to switch to nighttime showers once Blaine was asleep so that he could supervise him while he tried to do everything as independently as possible. Once he was finished with his own morning routine, he sat on the edge of the tub and marveled at the grown man in front of him trying to wash underneath his right armpit USING his right arm. It looked a little like a dog chasing its tail and Kurt couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips. The man in the bath looked up at the chuckle and if looks could kill, Kurt would have been struck dead on sight. "Blaine, honey, I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing with you I promise." "I'm n-not laughing though." "Good point, OK out of the tub you're starting to prune". Kurt lifted the drain and handed Blaine the removable shower head so that he could rinse as the water receded and Kurt washed his hair while checking the incision on his scalp. Once satisfactorily clean, Kurt put a towel around the tangled mass of curls and one over Blaine's torso. He hoisted him onto the side of the tub and finished drying him off. Kurt could tell that the morning had already worn him out. He will be lucky if Blaine stays awake during their walk. Oh well, it will still be good for them both to get out of the apartment and see other humans.

After pulling limbs through jeans, a tshirt and a cardigan, he let Blaine work at getting his socks on while he pulled shoes out of the closet for them both. "You have to let me help with the shoes unless you plan to let me buy you Velcro fastened sneakers like your Uncle Mort wears." Blaine laughed and nodded as Kurt tied the brown leather oxfords that he loves. Lastly, he tugged a beanie over Blaine's partially bald head. "And we're off". The two headed out the front door and downstairs. Blaine was all smiles once he was outside. The doorman was pleased to see them and let Blaine know that he had been in his family's prayers ever since he found out what happened. "If you need anything at all, both of yous, just call down and let me know. I take care of my people and yous two are my people." He was a large, Brooklyn born and bred guy. If Kurt didn't know him, he would have been afraid of him. When they moved into the building, he was nervous to find out how Steve would react to a gay couple in the building. His worries were completely unfounded. Turns out, Steve has a gay son and is a card carrying member of PFLAG. Sometimes, you REALLY can't judge a book by it's cover.

The park was packed this morning. Kids were playing, dogs were running, joggers were jogging. Kurt had thrown a blanket onto Blaine's lap before leaving the apartment and he spread it out on a patch of grass in the sun. He helped Blaine out of his chair and onto the ground so that they could sit and watch the activity. Blaine was content to sit with his back against Kurt's chest and watch a Jack Russell Terrier play Frisbee. "I w-want a d-dog" "OH NO, we are not getting a dog. Absolutely not. You can pull every sad face and pout you have in you but I am not allowing a dog in our house. How about a nice goldfish?". Blaine laughed at the reaction. He knew there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell of ever getting a dog and he truly didn't really want one but he loved to tease Kurt about it. He leaned his head back against Kurt's collarbone and within 5 minutes was dozing.

An hour later, they were back in the apartment and Kurt put Blaine on the couch to nap until his parents arrived. He busied himself with laundry and preparing a lunch for everyone. The doorbell rang just as he was putting the chicken in the oven. The Andersons came in and Anna made a beeline for the couch when she saw her son asleep. "He doing OK today?" George asked Kurt following him to the kitchen. "Actually, yeah. Had a rough start but we just got back from a walk in the park." As if on cue, they hear Blaine's voice bellow from the living room. "M-MOM, l-leave m'hair alone!" George and Kurt laughed and set the table.


End file.
